Well, today we are hearing rumors that the new Nextel BlackBerry will indeed be a BlackBerry Curve, carrier the model number BlackBerry 8350, and support Wi-Fi 802.11 b and g. We are also hearing that the new Nextel BlackBerry Curve will run BB OS 4.6.1 and be the first Nextel BlackBerry to come without an external antenna.

Let me first say that I don’t have any rumors to leak, however, my gut tells me that if you want a new BlackBerry and you’re still on Nextel’s network, you are SOL. I seriously doubt that we will see a new Nextel BlackBerry ever again and the only reason Sprint doesn’t just come out and tell Nextel users this is because they are hoping that you will switch over to the CDMA side of the house as compared to just leaving for another carrier.

It often takes a year or so for Sprint to get the CDMA version of BlackBerrys first released on AT&T or T-Mobile. If they can’t do better than that on the side of the network they are they are trying to keep, new BlackBerrys coming to the iDEN side of the house has an ice cubes chance in you know where.

I think the only hope BlackBerry users more addicted to PTT than they are to their BlackBerry is some type of Sprint BlackBerry that you can use the two-way walkie talkie feature with Nextel subscribers yet to make the switch.

QChat, a PTT technology from Qualcomm, will allow the 2-way walkie-talkie feature made famous by Nextel to work inter-network between the Sprint network and the Nextel network. QChat also runs at speeds that rival what Nextel subscribers are currently used to.

Nextel BlackBerry

One thing that I have learned over the passed two years of blogging about BlackBerrys is that the only people that love their devices more then die-hard BlackBerry users are die-hard Nextel BlackBerry users. The number of Nextel BlackBerry users that have no intention of moving to another carrier or even over to the Sprint side of the house until Sprint forces them to move while kicking and screaming is impressive to say the least.

I am a Verizon BlackBerry user so I kind of know how Nextel BlackBerry users feel. With Verizon, however, you know that there is light at the end of the tunnel because new devices will eventually come out a year or so later. Nextel BlackBerry users, on the other hand, have no light. At least none has been rumored that we know of.

I think the big issue for many Nextel BlackBerry subscribers is that they are business users and their companies have built a lot of process around Nextel’s nationwide walkie-talkie service. Taking this feature away from many users is like taking their mobile device all together.

One rumor that we have heard is that Sprint may be working on a BlackBerry that supports both CDMA and iDEN, however, we don’t believe that the walkie-talkie feature works inter-network. I think if Sprint came out with a CDMA BlackBerry that supported walkie-talkie communication with users still on the iDEN network, Nextel BlackBerry users would start switching in droves; not so much because Nextel BlackBerry users want to switch to Sprint, but because they know that they will eventually have no choice and those that didn’t move to the SureType BlackBerry 7100i, are working on devices over 2-4 years old.

Nextel BlackBerry

Will the BlackBerry 7100i be the last device we see, or does, RIM possibly have future iDen BlackBerrys on the back burner?

The productivity tools include:

• ArcSoft Comet Tracker — which uses GPS to locate and track workers, maintain electronic timesheets, and dispatch tasks
• Corrigo Connect — a wireless web-based work-order and dispatch management solution for service organizations with installation, maintenance and repair operations.
• Gearworks Etrace — which provides electronic time sheets and GPS-fleet maps to optimize field service operations.
• IT2ME Silver, Gold & Platinum — which are GPS-based wireless business solutions that allow customers to track and monitor valuable assets and employees.
• Xora GPS Time Track — an application that combines employee hours, job/work order management, GPS location tracking and barcode scanning capabilities.

These applications, which are an extension of services previously available on Nextel Assisted-GPS (A-GPS) handsets, enable users to locate and dispatch workers; manage work orders; process electronic time sheets; and monitor assets directly from their BlackBerry 7520(TM) handheld devices. Moreover, these location-based services (LBS) can complement existing sales force management applications, such as Salesforce.com, making BlackBerry(R) an even more powerful business tool.

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It looks like the Sprint / Nextel Merger is set to happen in Q3.  The combined company decided to go with the name Sprint Nextel (very clever by the way… Not) and have infused both companie’s logos maintaining the Sprint name and Nextel yellow and black colors. 

The widely rumored deal announced Wednesday would create a company that would be known as Sprint Nextel that would have about $40 billion in combined revenue in the latest year and would serve more than 35 million wireless subscribers, trailing only the industry leaders Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless.

TeleNav on the BlackBerry is very similar to the GPS cell phones that you can get from most car rental places.  It displays maps, speed and direction, and best of all, gives you audible driving instructions that tell you when to turn and change lanes.  You don’t have to worry if you miss a turn either.  Telenav will automatically reroute you to get you back on your way.

The one thing that I would recommend for the serious road warrior is a car kit with a dashboard mount and battery charger.  The GPS radio seems to get better reception when it is near the front window and can be a drain on the batteries as well.

Mobile Email Enhanced is powered by ConstantSynch, Visto’s wireless synchronization technology and an on-phone application to provide real-time access to email, contacts, and calendars. 

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